A hunter in Pennsylvania claims he has taken a photo of Bigfoot, the elusive creature said to live in US forests but whose existence has never been confirmed.

Sceptics have said the hunched furry animal seen walking on all fours is just a bear with a bad skin infection.

Hunter Rick Jacobs says he got the pictures from a camera with an automatic trigger that he fastened to a tree in the Allegheny National Forest, about 115 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, hoping to photograph deer.

He said: "We couldn't figure out what they were. I've been hunting for years and I've never seen anything like this."

The pictures were taken on September 16.

Mr Jacobs contacted the Bigfoot Research Organisation, which pursues reports of a legendary two-legged creature - sometimes known as a Sasquatch - that some people believe lives in parts of the US and Canada.

Paul Majeta of the bigfoot group said: "It appears to be a primate-like animal. In my opinion, it appears to be a juvenile Sasquatch."

However, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has a more conventional explanation.

Agency spokesman Jerry Feaser said conservation officers routinely trap bears to be tagged and often see animals that look like the photos.

Mr Feaser said: "There is no question it is a bear with a severe case of mange."

Tales of the hairy man-ape have been related in North America and other heavily forested parts of the world for years.

But despite the discovery of giant footprints and the occasionaly grainy video footage, the search for definitive proof of his existence continues.